The voyage of The Fisherman's Friends
The Fisherman's Friends were old friends who loved to sing sea shanties in the pub. A chance encounter with a famous DJ brought them stardom, but it hasn't all been plain sailing
As the craze for sea shanties (started by Scottish postman Nathan Evans) continues to grow on social media worldwide, Outlook returns to Port Isaac, a tiny English village, where in 2019 Emily Webb met the sea shanty band The Fisherman’s Friends.
The group got together 25 years ago and started singing sea shanties, which are a type of maritime song. After a chance encounter with a Â鶹ԼÅÄ radio DJ, Johnnie Walker, they ended up landing a £1 million record contract. Much to the group’s surprise, their album rose up the charts and they went on to play the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury Festival. Things were going well until 2013, when an accident backstage at one of their gigs killed singer Trevor Grills and the band’s tour manager Paul McMullen. The band didn’t perform for a year and in fact had no intention of singing again. However, they returned to the stage and have had a feature film made about them, Fisherman’s Friends.
Presenter: Emily Webb
Image Credit: Chris Hewitt
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
